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US blacklists two Estonia-based companies supplying electronics to Russia

The black list also includes ex-owners of Estonian companies who are allegedly still involved in the business of the companies

WASHINGTON, October 1. /TASS/. The US Department of Commerce has blacklisted two Estonian companies - Eastline Technologies and Adimir - as well as Real Components, a Moscow-based company, for supplying electronics prohibited for export to Russia from the US by way of Estonia and Finland. According the Commerce Department’s statement released on Monday, the blacklist also targets the ex-owners of Eastline Technologies - Valery Kosmachev and Sergey Vetrov - who, according to US authorities, have still maintained their roles in the business.

According to the document, Kosmachev and Vetrov were the co-owners of Eastline Technologies until 2016, but now Valeria Mikhailova, who is allegedly the daughter of Kosmachev, owns it.

What’s more, Vetrov is the owner of Real Components and Kosamachev named himself as the owner of Adimir.

In particular, these companies bought gate arrays in the US and delivered them to Russia via Estonia and Finland, regardless the fact that this requires a license under US law.

The Department of Commerce cites Kosmachev, who in 2015 told US authorities "it's easier to ship electronics into Estonia than into Russia," that is why he set up his company in Tallinn. He also said, "all of deliveries of Eastline Technologies go from Tallinn to Helsinki, and then they cross the border by truck," because it is faster and cheaper than transporting electronics directly from Estonia to Russia.

According to the press release, Kosmachyov and Vetrov are deprived of their "export privileges for 180 days" and are banned from buying (indirectly or directly) goods, software or technology if their exports require a license.

The Department of Commerce has not indicated what citizenship Kosmachev, Vetrov and Mikhailova hold.